Associated Builders and Contractors participated on Sept. 18 in a White House-sponsored roundtable discussion, “Recovery in the Workplace: Investing to Build the Workforce of Tomorrow,” which convened more than a dozen leading corporations, business groups and government leaders at the White House in Washington, D.C., to highlight the importance of recovery-ready and recovery-friendly workplaces and share best practices.

Greg Sizemore, ABC vice president of health, safety, environment and workforce development, discussed ABC’s Total Human Health Initiative at the White House Office of National Drug Control Policy’s National Recovery Month Roundtable.

At the roundtable, ABC committed to a Recovery-Friendly Workplace Certification, and also explored incorporating it into its industry-leading STEP Safety Management System and encouraging its 67 chapters and more than 23,000 member-companies to also become certified as recovery-friendly workplaces.

“The construction industry has long been influenced by the outdated mentality that workers should simply ‘suck it up,’ creating a barrier for employees to discuss personal challenges while on the job,” Sizemore said. “Additionally, many older construction workers turn to both legal and illegal substances as a means of coping with pain or musculoskeletal injuries accumulated over their careers.

“To overcome this, we must shift our mindset and foster a caring culture that promotes not only a safe, but also a healthy workplace,” Sizemore added. “It requires a deliberate effort to break down the barriers that have been built up over the years. This involves encouraging peer-to-peer accountability and sharing success stories — whether they involve addiction recovery or simply improving quality of life. Contractors must stop ignoring these issues. Addressing substance use and well-being must be integrated into an employer’s value proposition to every employee — and, in many cases, their families.”

ABC members’ most valuable asset is hardworking, dedicated and skilled workers. Construction workers use tools every day, and they need the right tools to address mental health, addiction and suicide prevention, especially since construction is estimated to have one of the highest suicide rates among all industries. ABC developed its Total Human Health Initiative to help contractors keep workers safe with tools to identify, acknowledge and address preoccupying concerns that everyone experiences in daily life — and save lives.